Performance Evaluation of Unglazed Tiles Produced from Locally Developed Tile Making Machine

Abstract

A tile making machine (TMM) was designed and fabricated (see Plate IV), varieties of tiles in different sizes and thickness were extruded and certain properties of the tiles were also tested. This is in order to determine and certify the functional reliability of the machine and it’s products when compared with similar machines earlier in operation. A body of ball (Bomo) clay and kaolin (kankara) clay in equal percentage of 50% was used for the tile extruded. Empirical method was employed to prepare the tile materials beginning with locating, identifying and charting of local deposits, exploration, procurement, transportation, beneficiation, compounding/mixing of ceramic materials, aging, production with the prepared recipes, drying and firing which mark the final stage. Tensile, hardness and impact resistance tests were carried out on the tiles produced with the TMM and two ready-made glazed China tiles in the market. The produced tiles results on the tensile test were (20mm = 1311.06 N/ mm², 15mm = 951.78 N/ mm² and 10mm = 741.47 N/ mm²); hardness test: (20mm = 40.2 HRF, 15mm = 29.7 HRF and 10mm = 18.7 HRF); and impact test: (20mm = 5.5J, 15mm = 2.13J and 10mm = 0.63J). The two results compared showed significant relationship in the parameters measured. Even though tiles produced from the TMM machine were not glazed but they met the standard parameters for unglazed tiles as obtained in literatures. From the parameters measured and the results obtained these tiles suitably match with the klinker tiles used as floor tiles and for other hard lining surfaces.

Keywords: Test, Performance, Efficiency, Standard, Unglazed, Mechanical